Alan Caruba's blog is a daily look at events, personalities, and issues from an independent point of view. Copyright, Alan Caruba, 2015. With attribution, posts may be shared. A permission request is welcome. Email acaruba@aol.com.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Obama is Denying Energy Independence to America

By Alan
Caruba

Watching
the events unfold in the Middle East, it occurred to me that, if we had a
president who had even the slightest grasp of energy facts, we could be living
in a nation that is not dependent in part on Middle East oil.

Instead,
we have a president who will not allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be extended
from Canada at no cost to American taxpayers while providing thousands of jobs,
short and long-term and whose administration denies access to the nation’s vast
energy reserves.

Why? Some
observers say President Obama is trying to maintain his bona fides among
environmentalists and it’s important to keep in mind that virtually every major
environmental organization opposes any and all forms of energy development. I
suspect the President simply sees the pipeline as symbolic of his overall
attack on America’s ability to have sufficient energy to meet its needs and
provide for growth. It is an attack on our economy.

Billions
of gallons of crude oil is used daily in America and the nation has an
extensive network of pipelines to transport it; approximately 55,000 miles. In
addition there is also an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 miles of small gathering
lines, located primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wyoming with small
systems in a number of other oil producing states. Right now, hundreds of miles
of Keystone XL pipe sit idle on 83 acres of leased land outside Gascoyne, North
Dakota.

Testifying
in April before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral
Resources, Dan Simmons of the Institute for Energy Research, said that both
America and our neighbor Mexico are energy rich countries with total
recoverable oil reserves that exceed 1.7 trillion barrels. At our current rate
of use, that is enough for the next 242 years.

In terms
of natural gas, North America has approximately 4.2 quadrillion cubic feet,
enough for 176 years at the current rate of use. U.S. recoverable coal reserves
are estimated at more than 497 billion short tons; enough for nearly 500 years
at our current rate of use.

As events
in Egypt are reported, commentators note the importance of the Suez Canal
through which much of the oil the West uses must pass, but given the U.S. oil
reserves our nation could function independent of that imported oil.

Ironically,
we will have to build more pipelines to transport it internally and we need to
build more liquid gas facilities to export our huge reserves of natural gas.
This is not likely to occur over the remaining years of the Obama
administration, nor will the shutdowns of coal-fired plants in a nation that is
the Saudi Arabia of coal cease. Coal in federally controlled land is estimated
to be worth $22.5 trillion to the U.S. economy, but it remains barred from mining.

Not only
could the U.S. be energy independent, but could be a major exporter to other
nations because oil, natural gas, and coal will comprise almost eighty percent
of the global energy supply in 2040. Energy demand is expected to grow by
fifty-six percent between now and 2040, mostly due to the economic growth of
nations such as China and India.

The nation
remains mired in an economy that is barely growing at two percent annually and
part of that is due to the energy policies of the Obama administration. As this
is being written, the Obama Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Department,
and other agencies have quietly raised their estimated “social cost” of carbon
emissions from $21 per ton to $35 per ton. The increase was not debated in
Congress, nor available for public review. Instead, its announcement was buried
in an unrelated Energy Department regulation on microwave ovens!

Having
been defeated in its efforts to impose a tax on carbon emissions, the Obama
administration is engaging in the outright fraud of claiming that carbon
emissions are causing global warming/climate change. As part of its war on
energy provision the Obama administrated wasted billions on wind power, solar
power, and electric car company failures throughout its first term. Without
mandates and subsidies, none of these enterprises could remain in business or
be competitive.

The U.S.
economy should be booming given the huge reserves of natural gas and oil that
exist nationwide, but instead it remains hostage to nations such as Saudi
Arabia. At the same time a major oil exporter, Iraq, has seen its exports
reduced due to the turmoil that has escalated since the U.S. military was
withdrawn. Sanctions on Iran affect its oil exports. Expect the cost of oil to
remain high for years to come.

The U.S.
is suffering from the attacks on its energy sector by the major environmental
organizations such as the Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth at the same time
the Obama administration continues its regulatory attacks to reduce the coal
mining industry and restrict access to oil reserves. In states and on privately
owned lands, there is a boom in natural gas extraction.

Every
American who fills up his auto’s gas tank, air conditions or heats their home
or apartment, and whose livelihood is directly affected by the cost and
availability of energy is being held hostage by the Obama administration,
forced to pay higher costs and forced to suffer the loss of opportunity in a
nation whose access to its own vast energy reserves is being denied.

6 comments:

Alan, you are right on target. I think this is part and parcel of Obama's intent, to keep us dependent on middle east oil, thereby sending millions of $ to that region so they can attack us. We have fed the beast for 30+ years now, and the muslim brotherhood is using its muscle to take over the entire world and subvert us from the inside. I think our president is a pawn of the Saudi's (remember him bowing to the Saudi king)? Also remember he said in his book 'if the political winds shift in an ugly direction, I stand with the muslims'. He is one!

Alan, I don't live in the USA but even I am so frustrated at what Obama is getting away with. He is NOT a president, he's an empty man with empty, dangerous ideas. With a few adjustments he could change the entire mood of the country. Instead he adds to the despondency. He has done NOTHING about the poor job performance - in fact, he's done everything to worsen it. He could cut taxes, drop regulation, stop Obamacare and America would see job growth within days. Instead every press conference is all about adding to the dooom and gloom of the country. He's the wet blanket thrown over the country to keep the people stiffled and frustrated while he prances around destroying people's lives, not only in the USA but in regions where's he's supporting his Muslim brethren. Gosh what a mess the USA is in and all on the back of White guilt, welfare dependency and American hatred.

"...you all have expressed the problem in your own fashion, but Lime you really summed up its essence, Obama."

I hate to disagree with you, Alan, but Obama is just another symptom, not the problem. The problem is the 53% or more that believe in him. Like people, like priest, Hosea 4:9. Get that 53% to see, hear, and think clearly and he'll be gone in a minute.

About Me

I am and have been for a long time a writer by profession. I have several books to my credit and my daily column, "Warning Signs", is disseminated on many Internet news and opinion websites, as well as blogs. In addition, I am a longtime book reviewer and have a blog offering a monthly report on new fiction and non-fiction.